


Eddie Needs to Relax (Cloud Nine)

by talesfromthesnogbox



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Coming Out, Eddie Kaspbrak Deserves Nice Things, Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier-centric, Forcibly Outing, Gay Disaster Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, Homophobic Language, M/M, Myra Kaspbrak deserves her own warning, No smut but it does get tendy, Panic Attacks, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25102114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesfromthesnogbox/pseuds/talesfromthesnogbox
Summary: “What, why are you doing laps? I told you to relax Eds.” He disappeared into the pool house and pulled out a round floatie tube. “Relax.”Eddie frowned. “What is an innertube going to do to relax me?”OREddie receives a phone call one fateful morning, and luckily Richie is there to help him relax. Inspired by an odd mix of spending an entire weekend floating in a pool and the HGTV show Pool Kings because why the hell not
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 1
Kudos: 72





	Eddie Needs to Relax (Cloud Nine)

**Author's Note:**

> HI! Enjoy my summer brainchild.

Richie was _never_ stressed. The man was (almost) always cool as a cucumber, throwing jokes around left, right and center to keep things light. Even after Eddie broke down and left his wife, Richie was there helping him move his stuff from New York to California, not even batting an eye with fear or worry.

_Eddie_ on the other hand… Eddie was always a ball of stress. He stressed about _everything_ from cleaning the house, to what they’d be eating for dinner, to Richie’s habit of online dating.

Eddie knew he was gay, but he had yet to come out to Richie (which is something he stressed about). It was hard for him to see Richie dating around, but the thought of him coming out terrified him. There was clearly no way Richie felt the same way about him, so he’d keep it in as long as he could.

Unfortunately, that all came to a head rather quickly.

“You’re living with WHO?”

“Myra, calm down. This is none of your business anymore, you’ve been served the divorce papers, I’m done with you.” Eddie paced the area between the kitchen and living room in Richie’s ridiculously large home, praying that his friend hadn’t gotten out of bed yet to hear the fight.

“Eddie bear, do you know what he is? Do you understand how _dirty_ he is?”

“Yes, Myra. I know Richie is gay. I knew this before I moved in with him.”

She spluttered over the phone. “You knew and you _still_ moved in with him? Wh-what are you his little _boyfriend_ or something? Do you think this is some little fantasy story Eddie, because it’s not.”

“What the—Richie is _not_ my boyfriend. Where is this even coming from? I was married to _you_ , don’t you think you would have known if I was gay?” Panic bubbled in his throat with every word he spoke.

“I don’t know, do I even know you anymore Eddie? You were my husband! I thought my husband loved me, but apparently he doesn’t. You aren’t yourself. Your so-called ‘friends’ have poisoned you into thinking you’re someone you’re not, so who knows! Maybe you are gay now!”

Eddie groaned. “That’s not how it works Myra, if I’m gay now, then I was gay back then too. But I’m not, I _left_ you because I don’t love you. I’m not dating Richie and I’m not gay. Will you just drop it please? ”

“No! I want the truth Eddie bear! Did _he_ tell you to do this? Was it him that told you to leave me all alone here? It’s Richie isn’t it, feeding you all these lies about being gay.”

“So what if I am!” Eddie yelled. He was shaking, all his stress finally bubbling to the surface. “What if I am gay then Myra? Huh? What are you gonna do about it? I’m _divorcing_ you. I don’t love you, I don’t want to be with you, I’m not even into women. God, fuck, goodbye Myra.” He hung up his phone and tossed it across the room onto the couch.

“Sooooo… do you want to tell me what that was all about?”

Eddie whipped his head around to see Richie at the top of the stairs, staring down at him with wide eyes.

“H-how much did you hear?”

Richie descended the stairs, turning on the coffee pot. “Um… from about ‘I left you because I don’t love you but I’m not dating Richie’ all the way up to… you’re gay?”

Eddie collapsed into Richie’s La-Z-boy, head in his hands, breathing heavily.

“Hey… hey man, it’s okay, look at me, it’s okay.” Richie was in front of Eddie in a moment, rubbing his shoulder softly. “You’re having a panic attack, okay, look at me, I need you to breathe Eds. In and out, in and out.” He guided Eddie through until his breathing slowed. “What do you need buddy, do you need a glass of water?” Eddie shook his head. “Alright, keep breathing, I’m here for you.”

Eventually Eddie’s breathing slowed back to a normal rate. He looked at Richie with tears in his eyes. “T-thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it dude, I used to have panic attacks all the time. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Eddie shook his head. “I… not right now, Rich.”

“Okay. Whatever it is, Eds, you need to relax. You’ve been so tense since we got to California.”

“I know, I know. I just… I don’t know _how_ to relax. I always just end up stressing myself out more.”

“Have you tried massage?” Richie suggested.

“I’ve been for massages, I’m not a fan.”

“Okay, well I find swimming helps relax me.”

Eddie perked up. “Swimming, yeah I used to swim in college.”

“Great! You haven’t used the pool yet. Go get your suit.”

“Wait, now?”

“Yes now! Come on, this will be good for you.”

The two of them went to their respective rooms to change and met in the backyard. Eddie would never admit it, but Richie’s pool was the coolest thing he’d ever seen in a residential yard. The water was perfect, sparkling blue, the pool was _massive._ A small wading shelf sat in one back corner with built in lounge chairs, and in the other corner near the deep end, a rock structure had cascading trickles of water. It was serene, it was beautiful, it was extravagant.

Richie didn’t realize it until after their return from Derry, but the reason he’d chosen this particular house with this particular pool was because of the jumping rock. He’d forgotten his friends, but he remembered how much fun they’d had jumping off that ledge into the deep waters of the quarry.

“Rich, this is beautiful, but I don’t think it’s really suited to doing laps.”

Richie scoffed. “What, why are you doing laps? I told you to relax Eds.” He disappeared into the pool house and pulled out a round floatie tube. “ _Relax._ ”

Eddie frowned. “What is an innertube going to do to relax me?”

Richie shook his head, pointing towards the mesh barrier in the hole of the tube. “Nah man, this one has a seat. Come on, I promise you’ll love it.” He stepped into the water in the wading ledge and sat on the edge of it, wetting the tube. “Come on in, water is beautiful.”

The water was indeed beautiful. It was warm, but cool enough to be refreshing on a hot day. He was able to submerge himself without shivering, but not feel like he was swimming in soup. He followed the shelf to the edge of the water where Richie was wading, his hand extended ready to help Eddie into the float. He turned, rolling his eyes, feeling a little silly, and dropped into the seat of the tube, floating backwards with the force of it.

“So…?”

“So what?”

Richie laughed. “Are you relaxed?”

“I think it’ll take more than a few seconds to relax me Richard.”

Richie laughed and followed Eddie’s float. “Lean back dude, you aren’t gonna fall backwards. Trust me, this thing has like a pillow in the neck, it’s great.”

Eddie followed suit and leaned his head back, relaxing his shoulders, and closed his eyes. The sounds of the trickling water from the jumping rock and the feeling of the tube rocking with the gentle waves he and Richie made instantly started to calm him down. Richie was right, this _was_ relaxing.

It was serene, all until he felt a wet hand at his temple. “Wha—”

“Dude, chill. Let me help.”

Eddie let out a huff, but leaned his head back and closed his eyes once more. Richie spread his fingers and combed them through Eddie’s dark hair, his blunt nails scratching his scalp ever so slightly. If Eddie was being honest, it was _heaven_. He was even a little upset that Richie was right about it.

“There ya go, see I told you this would help.”

Richie’s hands were gentle in a way that Eddie could have never possibly imagined. He was such a lanky teenager, but he’d grown into his body, filling out in all the right ways, he was _delightful_ to look at, especially splashing around in the pool. His hands were the perfect amount of rough and soft, worn in all the right ways where they touched his scalp. It all felt so very domestic, and for a few minutes, Eddie could slip away from his real, hellish life, and into one where he was _happy_. Happy with his life, happy with his job, happy with Richie. He knew Richie wouldn’t respond _badly_ if he told him how he felt, but Eddie wasn’t about to take that chance, not yet.

Richie’s hands slipped lower to rub at the base of his neck, and Eddie hummed happily. A shiver rolled down his spine as Richie’s fingers tickled the edges of his hair, and his body suddenly felt heavy and light at the same time. Then Richie’s fingers traced the shell of his ears, and suddenly, he’d lost control.

Eddie hummed happily at the light touches, biting his lip, but he couldn’t hold back the full-fledged moan he let out when Richie’s fingers rubbed lightly at his earlobes.

“Enjoying yourself Eds?”

“Fuck you, I know you know enough about sex to know the ears are an erogenous zone.” Eddie’s voice was barely even hostile, more soft and scolding than anything. Richie let out a boisterous laugh.

“Why, is it turning you on?”

“A little.”

Richie stopped dead in his tracks, and Eddie’s eyes flew open.

“I-I mean… if that’s okay with… if you want to stop then I…”

Richie continued on tracing the shell of Eddie’s ears.

He closed his eyes, but he was nowhere near as relaxed as he was before. His body felt like jello, but his mind was alert, and his heart thudded loudly in his chest.

“Hey Rich? I’m gay.”

“Yeah?”

Eddie nodded after a moment of thought. “Yeah.”

“Thanks for telling me buddy.”

Eddie nodded. A comfortable silence fell over the two of them again as Richie’s fingers returned to Eddie’s hair. He felt… lighter somehow, like coming out to Richie shed pounds off his body, added years onto his life. He wondered what else he could say that would shed that weight, but not reveal it all…

“That helped, didn’t it?”

“It did. How did you know?”

Richie chuckled. “I’ve known you practically my whole life man, even when I forgot you, I remembered my Eds. I know what you’re like when you have a secret that you need to get off your chest, and it felt like that’s what you needed today.”

“Well that’s not the only secret.” Eddie mumbled.

“Sorry, what was that? I didn’t catch it.”

Eddie chuckled. “It’s nothing.”

Richie shook his head. His hands wandered from Eddie’s scalp back down his neck and jaw, tracing a smooth pattern with his fingertips. “Alright man.” His thumb brushed Eddie’s lip, and neither could tell if it was on purpose. “Your lips are sealed.”

Eddie’s lips puckered slightly under Richie’s touch, shivering at the contact. His lips tingled where he’d touched them, and he instantly craved the feeling of anything of Richie’s on his lips again.

“They’re sealed, but I don’t know for how much longer.” Eddie babbled, hoping for the accidental touch once more.

“Whatever you say, Eds.”

Eddie took a deep breath and continued. “Myra and I were fighting this morning because she thought you and I were together.”

“Yeah dude, that conversation looked tense.”

“It was.” Eddie confirmed. “I-I almost wanted to lie, say that we are together. Just so she’d stop nagging me about coming home to her.”

“Is that so?”

Eddie knew Richie was skeptical of that statement. But he wasn’t brave enough to admit that yet. “Yeah. Maybe it would be easier on her if she thought I’d moved on.”

“And have you? Moved on I mean?”

“From her? Yeah.”

“Mm.” Richie made a noise of agreement in the back of his throat. “From her.” He stroked his thumbs on the apples of Eddie’s cheeks, just under his eyes in soft circles. “The way you said it Eds… is there someone else you’re trying to move on from?”

Eddie’s calm reverie was broken. “Pfft, you wish asshole.”

“Ah, a boy can dream.” Richie chuckled lowly, his heart silently breaking. Maybe he’d read it all wrong, maybe Eddie was just looking for a quick flirt with a trusted friend before trying his hand in the dating world for real.

Eddie’s brow furrowed, tension drawing up into his face again. One of Richie’s hands moved to stroke at his forehead, and soothe the creased lines that appeared. The smaller man’s eyes opened wide, staring up at Richie. “What do you mean by that?”

“By what?”

“ _A boy can dream_. What’s that supposed to mean, Rich?”

Richie’s heartbeat picked up. Was he really ready to lay all his cards out on the table? “It’s nothing Eds. I just… it’s nothing.”

“It’s obviously not nothing.” Eddie felt he suddenly had infinite wisdom in his sudden relaxation.

Their movements around the pool had come full circle, and they were back to where they began. Richie sighed, and jumped back onto the wading shelf, sitting comfortably while Eddie floated in front of him. “It’s not, you’re right. I just… it’s stupid. I had a crush on you when we were kids, and I thought, hm, how funny would it be if the tables were turned, and now instead of me getting over you, you were getting over me. It’s dumb.”

Eddie’s breath hitched. “You… you had a crush on me?”

“Yeah, stupid, right? I had so much fun pushing all your buttons. You were so cute in those little shorts, they starred in like ninety percent of my wet dreams.”

He glanced down at himself in the floatie, the bathing suit he’d chosen was quite reminiscent of those iconic red shorts that made a yearly comeback in his wardrobe in the nineties. Most of his tanned thighs were exposed in the suit he wore now; they were fitted, enough for his body to be clearly defined, but not enough to be considered a speedo, and they slung low on his hips. Eddie had worked hard for his body to look the way it did, he was proud of his flat stomach and strong thighs, and had no qualms about showing it off. He had very little ulterior motive with these shorts… very little, but not none.

“Kinda like the ones I’m wearing now?”

Richie’s face heated up, but he allowed himself to glance down Eddie’s body. “O-oh… would you look at that? Yeah… kinda like those.”

Eddie smirked. The teasing with Richie had always been playful, childlike… he had no idea how fun it could be when it _actually_ bordered on flirtatious. “It’s a good thing you’re over me then.”

Richie didn’t understand how everything flipped so quickly, how suddenly, it was _him_ in the hot seat. “Yeah, good thing. But it sucks for you, being around this nearly naked, dripping wet, six feet of hairy dad bod.”

Eddie let out a laugh, half at Richie’s self-deprecating joke, and half at the fact that he was _right_ , Richie looked _good_. “Fuck off, you know you’re sexy.” Richie was visibly taken aback by the comment. His face contorted in confusion. “Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t know this.”

“First I’m hearing it. Enlighten me, Eds.”

Biting his lip, Eddie allowed his eyes to roam over Richie’s face. From the upside down angle, he could see the clear definition in his sharp jawline through the scruff he’d been growing out as of late. Richie’s throat bobbed tantalizingly as he swallowed, Eddie wanted to bite it. His rough hands were driving him crazy, still roaming his face. He knew his eyes looked hungrily over Richie, his hands itched to get a hold of him.

“Your jaw, your eyes, your _shoulders_ , I know you’re blind as a bat, but do you ever look at yourself?” The taller man chuckled. “I’m serious Rich! You’re really fucking hot.” Eddie reached up and grabbed at Richie’s forearms, stroking them through the layer of wiry hair. “I’m only going to ask this once, and I want you to answer me truthfully. Did you really get over me?”

Richie’s breath hitched. After a minute of silence, he groaned, slumping over to rest his face on the pillow of the tube by Eddie’s head. “Eds…”

Eddie detangled Richie’s hands from his head, pulling them down his body to his chest, propelling himself backwards, further into the other man. Goosebumps broke out over his skin at the rough feeling of hands sliding over his body, and he turned his head, burying his face in Richie’s hair. “Rich, come on.” He mouthed against his ear.

The only sound that could be heard was the trickle of the water, and their heavy breathing. Richie finally turned his head, his lips catching on the tip of Eddie’s nose. “I think you can figure out the answer to that.” Eddie craned his head upwards and gasped as their lips brushed softly. “Eddie…” He spoke against the other man’s lips. “Eddie get off that thing, I don’t want our first kiss to be a Spiderman kiss.”

Eddie’s face broke into a smile as he broke away from Richie and pulled himself out of the floatie. He hoisted himself up onto the wading shelf, and straddled Richie’s thighs instead, humming when Richie’s hands gripped his hips, his own resting lightly on Richie’s chest. The two stared at each other, bewildered, neither wanting to break the gentle tension first. Slowly, they started coming together, closing the distance between them at a glacial pace. The air around them buzzed deliciously, neither wanted to make a move first knowing this was the death of their friendship, and the start of something bigger; Richie and Eddie merging into one unit as RichieandEddie once and for all. Eddie’s eyes slid shut as their foreheads met; Richie’s hot breath fanned against his lips, and his chest heaved, drinking in as much air as he possibly could. He couldn’t take it anymore… this was driving him mad. His hand slithered from where it rested against Richie’s soft pec, up his neck, to its final resting place, fisted in Richie’s hair. With one final breath, Eddie tugged lightly, pulling Richie’s face towards his, and finally, _finally_ , their lips met.

Nothing could have prepared Eddie for this. Richie’s lips slotted against his gently… gentle in a way he never imagined Trashmouth could be. Richie’s kiss was soft, so soft and loving he could cry. His thumbs traced gentle circles on Eddie’s skin beneath the water, and Eddie was sure he would burst. Eddie pulled away, overwhelmed by the sheer intimacy of it, and Richie’s lips followed, chasing him like they did when they were kids. They still had yet to open their eyes. Neither wanted to break the moment as they sat, breathing heavily against each other, foreheads resting on the other. Finally, Richie caved, and with a soft sigh, their lips met again.

The kiss was still soft, but hungrier than the last. Over and over, the two met in the middle, mouths opening to invite the other in. They melted together, Eddie scrambling to get as close to Richie as he could. Richie let out a heady groan as Eddie took his bottom lip between his teeth, tugging gently.

“Fuck Eds.” Richie panted, lowering his hands to Eddie’s ass.

“Yeah, yeah holy shit.”

Richie breathed out a laugh. “Fuck man, I’ve thought about doing that forever.”

“I know, me too.”

Richie leaned in again and kissed him gently. “Jesus, this is _not_ how I pictured today going when I woke up to you and Myra in a screaming match.”

“You’re telling me.” Eddie leaned down and mouthed at Richie’s throat. “For the record, it was you.”

Richie’s brow furrowed. “Me? What was me Eds?”

Eddie chuckled. “I was trying to get over you. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen.”

“Well… since we’re in the spirit of spilling our guts… I _didn’t_ ever get over you.”

“Thank god for that, considering you’re now _under_ me.”

It was Richie’s turn to let out a laugh. “Eds gets off a good one!” He pulled Eddie up to meet his eyes with his hand under his chin, and leaned in to kiss him gently one more time. “Seriously though, I um… Eddie, I love you.”

Eddie’s smile softened. He felt like a teenager again, a smitten teenager with butterflies in his stomach and love in his heart. “I love you too.”

Richie ran his fingers up and down Eddie’s back lightly, tracing the muscles there. “So… I’m guessing you’re feeling more relaxed now?”

“Yes… no… maybe relaxed isn’t the right word for it. I feel… I feel… I feel like I’m on cloud nine with you right now.”

They kissed softly again. “Good. Come on, let’s go dry off, my work here is done.”


End file.
